Negotiations

Senator Harkin (D-IA) sends letter to President Obama supporting a WIPO treaty for the visually impaired

Posted on by Krista Cox

On Friday, March 30, 2012, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee sent a letter to President Obama supporting an international treaty for persons who are visually impaired or have other disabilities. The letter urges the Obama administration to achieve several goals in such a treaty, including robust minimum standards that do not diminish the rights provided for under U.S. Continue Reading →

SCCR23: Statement by KEI on the protection of broadcasting organizations

Posted on by Thiru
With respect to broadcasting, KEI reiterates its opposition to work at WIPO on a new treaty for broadcasting organizations.

When governments grant intellectual property rights to broadcasting organizations, they undermine the rights of copyright holders, and reduce the incomes of creative communities.

Continue Reading →

#SCCR23: Concluding remarks of Brazil

Posted on by Thiru
Thank you Mr. Chairman,

First, my delegation would like to congratulate you on the very good job performed as the Chairman of this Session of the SCCR. We also thank Assistant Director General, Mr. Trevor Clarke, and the Secretariat for all the hard work, and also the interpreters.

My delegation would like to extend its congratulations to all delegations, for their hard and constructive work along these two weeks of Session, and for the flexibility in order to reach acceptable solutions.

Continue Reading →

WIPO releases text on an international instrument on L&Es for persons with print disabilities: SCCR/23/7 Prov

Posted on by Thiru

On Friday, 2 December 2011, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) released an official paper, dated 1 December 2011, entitled “Working Document on an International Instrument on Limitations and Exceptions for Persons with Print Disabilities” prepared by the “Secretariat on the (to be adopted by the Committee during the SCCR/23 session).” This document, numbered as SCCR/23/7 Prov., is expected to be adopted today by the SCCR. SCCR/23/7 Prov can be found here:
Continue Reading →

General statement of Knowledge Ecology International at SCCR 23 supporting TVI and AV treaty and opposing Broadcasting Treaty

Posted on by Thiru

General statement of Knowledge Ecology International
SCCR 23
21 November 2011

The SCCR is beginning a long meeting that will attempt to address proposals for norm setting on copyright limitations and exceptions, and for related rights for audiovisual performances and broadcasting organizations.

Continue Reading →

Wikileaks: US Cable on WIPO SCCR 17 meeting

September 2, 2011
From KEI staff review of Wikileaks cables (/wikileaks)

This is a US Department of State cable reporting on the WIPO SCCR 17 meeting, which took place November 3-7, 2008. This was the first meeting focusing primarily on copyrigh limitations and exceptions, and also, the meeting where the World Blind Union first presented its proposal for a treaty.

Among the observations reported in the cable:

SCCR22: Brazilian interventions in favor of a Treaty on exceptions and limitations to copyright for persons with disabilities

Posted on by Thiru
Mr Chairman,

It is with much pleasure that Brazil notes that we started this second week of the XXII SCCR with a text on the table that is co-sponsored by Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Ecuador, México, Paraguay, and the United States and that is also supported by the EU.

Continue Reading →

Non paper distributed at SCCR 22 at 1pm on Friday, on disabilities

Posted on by James Love

In a major breakthrough on the WIPO negotiations on copyright exceptions for persons with disabilities, at around 1pm today, a non-paper “resulting from informal discussions among Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, the European Union and its Member States, Mexico, Paraguay and the United States of America” was distributed at the WIPO SCCR 22.

A copy of the document is available here:

/wp-content/uploads/text_distributed_friday_1pm.doc

Continue Reading →